RCN comments on ONS survey on end of life care

Published: 03 July 2012

For immediate release: Tuesday 3 July 2012

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today responded to the National Bereavement Survey 2011, commissioned by ministers in the Department of Health and carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said:

“There is only one chance to get end of life care right and we welcome the focus on this important area. Wherever a person dies, the level of care and dignity should match that offered by the best hospices, which are rightly praised in this survey. We are deeply concerned that not all patients can access this standard of care, particularly if they die in hospital. All NHS staff, whether they are specialists or not, need to be confident that they can deliver good care to people at the end of their lives, and the RCN is supporting nurses to develop themselves in this area.

“No patient should have to die in hospital when they would prefer to die at home, simply because specially trained district nurses are not available at all hours in their area. Nurses see too many instances of patients at the end of their life having to come into hospital, often at night and against their best wishes. This obviously causes distress to individuals and families. The NHS needs to sustain investment in this specialist, out of hours care, so that wherever and whenever a person dies, they can be given excellent pain-relief, dignity and care.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

1. For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

2. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nursing staff and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.